A Rwandan court has denied bail to opposition leader Victoire Ingabire, ordering her to remain in detention pending trial.
The Kicukiro Primary Court in Kigali ruled on Tuesday that there was a risk she might flee or interfere with ongoing investigations.
Ingabire, a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame, is facing six charges, including membership in an illegal group and spreading messages intended to incite international opposition to the government. Prosecutors claim there is sufficient evidence to keep her in custody while the case develops.
The charges stem from a 2021 incident involving several of her supporters who took part in an online political training session.
Authorities allege the session included discussions of the book How to Topple a Dictator When You’re Alone, Small, and Unarmed, which they argue points to plans to destabilize the government.
Ingabire has rejected all the allegations and maintains that the charges are politically motivated.
A longtime opposition figure, she was previously imprisoned in 2010 upon returning from exile in the Netherlands, and was released in 2018 under a presidential pardon.
Her renewed prosecution has drawn criticism from human rights groups, who cite it as further evidence of the Rwandan government’s crackdown on dissent. Ingabire is scheduled to appear in court again on July 15.
